Customer Reviews

Killer on the Road / Silent Terror (original title)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

True, Killer on the Road is different, and arguably weaker, than the "LA Noir" books - Black Dahlia, White Jazz, Big Nowhere, LA Confidential - but it is still worth a read. I don't have a clue (thankfully) whether the mind of Plunkett is the mind of a real serial killer or not. It reads as if it could be. The detached but obsessive self-introspection of Plunkett, as he details his crimes feels real enough. The pace, much slower than in later Ellroy novels, fits the subject matter well. The chill builds and builds as you follow Plunkett's spiral into hell.

Without giving away too much of the book, the most chilling moment for me is a scene where two serial killers meet and compare notes. Their conversation could almost be that of two traveling salesmen comparing sales territories. The ordinariness of this scene is what made it so terrifying for me. Monsters with human faces, not numb, but indifferent, to what they do, will surface again in later Ellroy novels, but their closeness to rest of the world has not been drawn as sharp as it is here.

This is one of the most unpleasant books I have ever read. Nowhere have I encountered a narrative depiction of the crimes and motivations of a serial killer more realisitc than KILLER ON THE ROAD. What worries me about this book is how realistic it is. I am sure that there are readers who are not revolted by the acts portrayed in this book, or worse, find them somehow amusing or exciting. If you know someone like that, someone who says, "Yeah I loved that book, it was really cool," STAY AWAY FROM THEM BEFORE THEY DECIDE TO CUT YOU INTO LITTLE PIECES!

This early serial killer book has some intriguing aspects but is lacking when it comes to plot and scenic structure. It sort of plods along and the somewhat interesting main character isn't enought to sustain a reader's enthusiasm. There isn't much tension in the plot. Everything seems somewhat predictable and the outcome inevitable.

Mostly, fans of Ellroy's L.A. series will miss the manic pace, the full cast of characters and the complexity of scene and mood. This book is too much of a piece. Limited and ultimately hollow.

Ellroy hits the reader with all the subtlety of a hatchet from nearly the first page of this bloody, grotesque read. Told from a mind-numbingly creepy first-person, this story tells the odyssey of a boy's journey into adulthood, and it pulls no punches as it recounts incidents of unimaginable brutality.

Comparisons could easily be made to Ellis' "American Psycho," but don't bother. "Killer on the Road" makes that work look like a comic strip.

Martin Plunkett, the story's main character, travels across the country on a murdering spree, trying to silence the voices which beckon him to slaughter everyone from hitchikers to his own mother. No details are spared in the account, and, fair warning, it's not for the squeamish.

If serial killers are your thing (you know who you are), this book is a must-read. It's not a fun ride, but the writing is as intense as anything I've ever read, and the last paragraph is among the most genuinely chilling statements I've ever read

Books do not come any creepier or more disturbing than this. A serial killer coming of age story about a guy who fashions himself after a comic-book villian named "Shroud Shifter." He kills to attain invisibility like his comic book idol. He calls his own psychotic day dreams "brain movies." The sick thing is, you find yourself rooting for killer. This book is freaky.

I think it was his best book, even better than L.A. Confidential. Ellroy is an expert on the subject. His mother was murdered when he was ten years old. He's a strange dude (read his piece, "My Life As a Creep" in his collection of stories, articles, DESTINATION MORGUE), but an excellent writer. I like the small touches he adds, like when the main character was working at the Hollywood Public Library (where the true life teen Ellroy used to hang out with his glue sniffing friends). Or when he crosses paths with another serial killer. Almost as scary as BTK.

Reading the other reviews here I've noticed two trends:

1) People say serial killers are really like the character in this book.

2) This book's plot os not as intricate as those found in other Ellroy books.

I can agree with 2 but I've never been inside the mind of a serial killer so I can't vouch for 1. However, I have to say that I found Pluncket a believable serial killer, and to me, that's all that matters. I don't really believe that all serial killers must fit into a certian profile; there are many unsolved murders in the world that are probably the world of serial killers who do not.

I found this book to be as interesting as other Ellroy books because of the intense focus on a single character as compared to looks at a number of characters that are not as detailed. I personally enjoy the characterizations in Ellroy's books more than the plots, although I do appreciate both. So this book was a treat for me.

I have to agree with some other reviewers, though, that the end of the book was less satisfying than the beginning. Using the "end at the beginning" format did not impress me, nor did some of the final moments of the book.

Despite a few small complaints and some dissimilarity to Ellroy's other work, I would reccomend this book to any Ellroy fan or to those interested in intense characterizations.

First off, I must state that I am a fan of James Ellroy. This may cause me to appreciate his lesser works more than if they had been written by someone I hold in less regard. While "Killer on the Road" is certainly one of Ellroy's lesser works, there are certain aspects of the book that I find compelling and make it worth reading.

A convention that Ellroy employs throughout his works is to further the plot through the use of newspaper articles. This detached "journalistic" writing can provide a lot of important facts in a short amount of space and also serves as a contrast to the remainder of the novel which is generally presented subjectively through the eyes of one character or another. In general, it is a highly effective approach to develop the action of the story as well as being quite entertaining.

In "Killer on the Road" this convention is taken one step further. Virtually all chapters are preceded with a series of articles describing the discovery of bodies and descriptions of the deceased, police leads or suspects (if any), and other facts related to the crime. The remainder of the chapter follows Martin Plunkett as he perpetrates the crimes the reader has just read about in a "newspaper." I found myself returning to the beginning of each chapter constantly to review the detached account of the slayings in light of the subjective version that Martin has just provided. The juxtaposition of the two accounts is an effective narrative device that adds depth to the story.

Compared to other Ellroy novels, however, "Killer on the Road" is much less complicated and interesting, but it does have its merits. I wouldn't start with this novel as an introduction to Ellroy's works, but neither would I overlook it.

What a trip. We all know about the exploits of serial killers and how gruesome they are, but why?? This book may not have all the actual answers as to why (there may not be any), but we can see first hand the twisted and convoluted "rationalizations" and "reasons" that set this killer into motion. Instead of the titillation in having pure evil described in the third person, this book lets us in on the evil decision making.

Already published a few years ago during Ellroy "serial killer" period, this book make you follow a serial killer very closely, as if you were with him. Ellroy makes you a murder peeping Tom.This works very well. Ellroy probably used this book as self therapy to expell the dark side within him. (Excuse my english, I am French)